Vanities the Musical (September 10th, 2016)

Vanities 

The Musical

September 10th eve, 2016

(LoveTheatre.com)

The sad fact of the matter right now is that most of my favourite theatre performers haven’t been in a show for a while. The one that is, I’ve been somewhat obsessively stalking, and trying to see everything she in. So when I saw that Lizzy Connolly was going to be in a show called Vanities, I knew I was seeing it, no matter what it was about. With a three person cast, tiny theatre, and a fairly simple plot, I honestly wasn’t expecting too much. I figured since Lizzy was in it, it would at least be entertaining. But somehow, this little show was way more than I expected it to be.

Seat/Venue Review: I much prefer Studio 2 to Studio 1 at Trafalgar Studios. It’s an intimate yet comfortable venue (not a bad seat in the place, I think), with a nice bar area, friendly and helpful ushers, and very reasonably priced programmes. The seats are a bit dodgy as you have to share with a second person to get them to stay down properly, and front row has you right on the stage, but for £30, I’m not complaining.

Vanities tells the story of three Texas cheerleaders, checking in at four different points in their lives – senior year of high school, final semester of college, age 28, and middle age. Kathy, Joanne, and Mary start of as an inseparable group; different personalities but obsessed with the same goal: to be popular. As they age, we watch the three girls grow and change as life hands them situations they never could’ve prepared for.

The three stars couldn’t have been more perfectly cast. Lizzy Connolly as Joanne was every bit the traditional southern belle. Lauren Samuels as Mary was delightfully sarcastic, and Ashleigh Gray was calm and self-assured as Kathy. The characters were so well developed; they truly seemed like they’d been best friends since childhood. Every little nuance and interaction seemed completely natural. It’s something anyone with best friends (so, anyone at all) will recognize, and I think that’s an incredible achievement. The three characters so wonderfully reflected the time period, and how attitudes changed during this period – it felt like watching a documentary rather than a musical.

Lizzy Connolly (LoveTheatre.com)

Lizzy Connolly, as expected, was wonderfully entertaining. She just has the most perfect comedic timing; a recurring joke (about how Joanne would kill herself/slit her wrists/slit her throat/kill someone else) had the potential to be quite dark, but Lizzie just said it with the perfect tone (almost a drawl) and timing to make it funny. She also really played up Joanne’s ditziness and naiveté without making her seem entirely stupid. It made her character seem more real. Because Lizzie’s such a strong dancer, it gives her a great sense of how movement and posture can affect a character – to that end, she goes from very prim and upright in the first three acts, to a bit hunched over in the final act, showing how her character’s outlook on life has changed. Lizzy doesn’t need the costume or wig changes to accurately communicate her character. Her accent is also perfection; funny and exaggerated without being ridiculous. My favourite part was in Act III when Joanne gets very drunk on champagne and starts dancing around the apartment, basically going completely crazy and complaining about all that’s frustrating in her life – it was hilarious and refreshing to see the character completely let loose. All in all, an absolutely brilliant performance.

Lauren Samuels (LoveTheatre.com)

Lauren Samuels gave a very strong performance as Mary. Her character wasn’t likeable in the least bit; you felt a bit of sympathy for her, but at the end of the day, I was mostly shocked and disgusted by the things she’d done (like sleeping with Joanne’s husband). I’d love to know what led her to the things she did (surely it was more than just having such a stifled childhood and wanting to see the world), but nevertheless found her character intriguing. You could definitely see from the beginning that Mary was a bit bitter about her life, and that feeling grew and grew through the show. The character was delightfully sarcastic, and spent a good deal of time making fun of both Kathy and Joanne. She was more darkly humorous than Joanne though, which offered a nice contrast. In some ways, I thought Mary was the most fully fleshed-out character in terms of writing, and Lauren worked with that to produce an really intriguing performance.

Kathy was easily the most relatable character in the first two acts (for me, anyway, as a neurotic list-maker myself), and Ashleigh Gray, with her huge voice and sensitive, thoughtful acting, carried it off beautifully. I thought that she really captured Kathy’s need for an ‘organized life’ without making her unbearably fussy. Kathy was certainly the quieter presence onstage; the one always watching, listening, and taking in everything that was happening. That was probably Kathy’s downfall, she knew too much and cared too deeply that everything be in a certain way. Ashleigh’s accent was also incredible; she sounded just southern enough to be believable, then went to a very mild, almost Canadian accent for the second half. It made Kathy’s slight personality shift seem more complete. I also loved how she went from very peppy and bouncy (almost a bit twitchy) in Acts I and II, to very ‘still’, not moving unless she absolutely had to. Another great indicator of the transition the character had made.

Ashleigh Gray (LoveTheatre.com)

I really enjoyed the set; it was very cleverly designed so that everything the actors needed for the show was right in front of them. The set could be anything; a highschool locker room, a sorority house, a new york apartment, or a funeral home – it actually reminded me a lot of the off-broadway production of Heathers. Definitely a ‘less is more’ approach. Also, the set was pink, and we all know how I feel about anything pink. The changes between scene had the potential to be awkward and shuffly, but were executed smoothly. I liked that the three actresses went into a sort of ‘trance’; they weren’t really themselves, and it helped to communicate the passing of time. The lights were kept up (though dim) and the music continued  playing (the same tune for every scene shift), which was better than if they tried to hide the transitions completely. It wouldn’t’ve worked in that small a theatre. The ‘Mirror Song’ (Mystery I-IV) was used to illustrate how their lives have changed based on which makeup products they were using. It also helped maintain some consistency through the show.

The costumes were also really nice, and suited each character perfectly. A number of the pieces looked vintage (some were nearly falling apart, like Lizzie’s act I and II shoes), but everything fit the actresses and matched the time period. The onstage change into the cheerleader uniform was a bit dodgy (I honestly wasn’t sure if they’d all get their sweaters buttoned up in time, and they kept having to do one or two up slyly during the following scene), but the outfits themselves were adorable. I really want one of those skirts; they were so cute! (yes, I’d totally wear it to school. In freezing cold Scotland. Don’t judge!)

Connolly, Gray, and Samuels (LoveTheatre.com)

The only things I really disliked about show was that sometimes the direction had the actors walking up the stairs into the audience – they always had to push through legs and be wary of bags. It seemed unnecessary and impractical. I also felt that there was something missing with Kathy’s character. We never really find out what happened with her other than that she had a nervous breakdown. She clearly was the point of connection for the group for their entire lives (Mary and Joanne kept in touch with her when they weren’t speaking to each other) and she’s the one who brings them together for the ‘tea party’. But I didn’t understand why. And how she ended up in the situation she did; there was a bit about her being laughed at for being enthusiastic, then becoming to neurotic, but that doesn’t lead to a complete personality shift… (speaking from experience). I found Kathy very relatable and fleshed-out in the beginning, but by the end of the show, I was just confused. Kathy just felt incomplete; however, I think that was a writing error rather than anything Ashleigh did with her portrayal.

I don’t usually do the stars thing, but if I had to, I’d give this production 4.9/5. Vanities will make you need to gather up all of your friends and give them a big hug (and make them promise never to sleep with your future husband). It’s heartwarming, shocking, cleverly executed, and just a great evening out. The performances are astounding (so much talent in such a tiny theatre). I highly recommend seeing this production; it’s playing at Trafalgar Studios 2 until October 1. Tickets here: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/vanities-the-musical/trafalgar-studios/